The timeless truths from 22
This year has been incredible. I am doing the work I love with some truly exceptional leaders and teams. I have worked across a wide variety of short- and long-term challenges spanning media, technology, defence, sporting and industry bodies.
Over this time, three things have stood out that I am confident will remain a huge focus moving into 2023.
#1 Simplification isn't simple, but it is a sales enabler.
Overly complex and confusing narratives have crept into meetings, proposals, propositions, and advertising.
The way we now work has led to a mindset of more equals more. More pages with longer explanations, more meetings to check in, and more products to make – just in case one might be the right fit.
As Barry Schwartz outlines in his great work The Paradox of Choice, too much choice can actually be demotivating. When presented with a selection of 24 different jams, only 3% of customers purchased. When only six jams were on display, this increased to 30%.
Put simply: When we put more out, we get less back.
Flip the focus from what you do over to why someone should care. Strip out the jargon and relentlessly build the discipline that everything important can fit on one page. Less is still more – because more cut-through leads to more sales when done well.
#2 We still need to connect as humans, not little squares on a screen.
Whether that’s within teams, as leaders or with clients and customers, forging meaningful in-person connections remains a top priority regardless of the industry.
At the start of this year I ran a team trust-building exercise with 80 people. It was an incredible day, and powerful new connections were formed. When asked if I thought this had worked, after the two years we had all just been through, I replied that before Covid this exercise had made teams stronger. Now, it brings them back together.
Many people have visited our homes digitally, Zooming into our makeshift offices, eying up our spare bedrooms with our stand-up desks and gym equipment idly nearby. Despite this, we have become more insular, less self-aware and more private. We have our guard firmly up and as a result we are coming across as less authentic.
A timely reminder here from Brene Brown: “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are”.
If you don’t know your Why, something I believe is essential for every leader, make 2023 the year to explore this fundamental self-leadership discovery.
#3 Staying focused is both more challenging and critical than ever.
Focusing on the bigger picture strategy that gives others clear direction on the meaning and purpose of their work is critical – followed by a relentless focus on the work that only this team can do.
Greater simplification and maintaining connections compound this third challenge. Without doubt, this will be a continued focus for me in 2023 as I move from action plans to Game Plans and replay that important analogy of “if you are not flying the plane, then who is?”.
Why? Because every day we are doing work that someone else could do, we are not clear on our direction. And if we are not doing the one thing that impacts everything else, we will fall further behind the competition and the market. In 2023, the ‘Covid disruption’ argument will no longer wash. Getting clear on the direction and simplifying the focus is the only route to sustainable growth.
To all of you that have been in my workshops, at one of my conferences, taken notes during a keynote or leaned in for some one-on-one time – thank you. It has been an incredible year, and I can’t wait to make the world simpler, easier to navigate, more connected and even more focused in 2023.